


The Birthday He'd Never Had

by InterstellarRenegade



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Birthday Fluff, Birthday Party, M/M, mostly just fluffy cheesy things bc i am weak, only rated teen for implied sex, some light angst but not much
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-24
Updated: 2017-10-24
Packaged: 2019-01-22 06:43:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,060
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12475716
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/InterstellarRenegade/pseuds/InterstellarRenegade
Summary: Keith’s birthday had been days before, and Lance had pouted when Keith had told him he wouldn’t be able to come home to celebrate. Keith hadn’t batted an eye at skipping over his birthday, more focused on his work with the Blade. However, Keith had smiled widely when Lance sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him over their video call, and then a few days later, Keith had sent word that he would be able to catch a break from his work and come back to the castle.





	The Birthday He'd Never Had

**Author's Note:**

> Sooo, a friend told me I should write fic for Keith's birthday, and this is what I came up with in a few hours. It's unedited, so sorry for any mistakes! Hope you enjoy still!

Bubbles of nervous and excited energy popped in Lance’s chest as he laid in his room and waited for news of Keith’s arrival. It’d been months since they’d last seen each other in person, and Lance was desperate now that he knew Keith was coming back to the castle that day. He was desperate to touch him, and kiss him, and hear his voice right next to him instead of through speakers.

Keith’s birthday had been days before, and Lance had pouted when Keith had told him he wouldn’t be able to come home to celebrate. Keith hadn’t batted an eye at skipping over his birthday, more focused on his work with the Blade. However, Keith had smiled widely when Lance sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to him over their video call, and then a few days later, Keith had sent word that he would be able to catch a break from his work and come back to the castle.

Of course, Lance had planned something special for Keith in lieu of getting a gift – it was really hard to find a proper birthday gift in the unfamiliar territory of space, especially something Keith would like (did Keith like anything?) – and he hoped Keith wouldn’t be too tired to participate after his flight back. It wasn’t terribly strenuous or anything, but Lance wanted him to be able to enjoy it.

The castle’s intercom crackled before Pidge’s voice spoke clearly. “Keith is here,” was all she needed to say before Lance jumped out of his bed, rushing out his door.

Everyone was gathered in the lounge, chatting jovially with Keith near the center of the group. It looked like greetings had already been exchanged, and now they were catching up, with Pidge introducing Keith to Matt, while Hunk chatted animatedly about something Lance couldn’t pick up on as he entered the room. Coran was saying something as well, and Allura stood next to him smiling, with Shiro also nearby and looking genuinely happy for the first time in a while.

Lance burst into their group, a little out of breath. “What, you guys waited to tell me he was here?”

Allura covered her smile with her hand. “Well, we knew you were going to steal him away as soon as he landed, so we wanted some time to say hello first.”

Lance blushed a little, indignant. “That’s unfair,” he muttered, but he couldn’t keep himself from Keith any longer.

Keith opened his arms just in time for Lance to fill them, hugging Keith tight enough that his Blade of Marmora armor dug into Lance’s chest enough to cause actual pain. Lance didn’t care, lifting Keith’s feet off the ground an inch before Keith smacked his shoulder, embarrassed. Lance set him down and pulled back with a grin.

“So, you’re stealing me away, huh?” Keith asked, looking suspicious. His hands still rested on Lance’s upper arms.

“I may have a little something planned,” Lance allowed, wiggling his eyebrows.

Keith snorted as Hunk pulled Lance over to whisper in his ear. “The stuff is in the kitchen.”

Lance nodded excitedly and took Keith by the hand, dragging him away from everyone in the lounge before anyone could protest. Keith didn’t ask questions, putting his trust in Lance and letting himself be pulled toward the kitchen.

“Is your suit uncomfortable?” Lance asked. “Want to change?”

Keith shook his head, watching as Lance grabbed something that looked like a picnic basket off the counter. “It’s okay.”

Lance gave him another happy grin, this time leaning forward to peck Keith on the cheek before grabbing his hand and leading him out of the kitchen. They walked down a few halls that looked the same before Lance opened a door. It opened to a smaller and darker lounge area than the usual one they used, with a huge window serving as the opposite wall, providing a breathtaking view of endless space.

“Did you seriously plan a picnic?” Keith asked, one eyebrow raised as he spotted a blanket already laid out on the floor in front of the window. “That’s so cheesy."

Lance blushed in the dark, but when he looked back Keith was smiling wide and starting to laugh. He looked happy. Lance surged forward to kiss the joyous sounds from his lips until Keith wrapped his arms around Lance’s neck, still shaking with quiet laughter. Lance pressed his face into Keith’s hair.

No lights were turned on as the two made their way to the blanket, but the starlight was enough to see by, especially closer to the window. Lance had thought long ago that he would get bored of space after spending so much time in it, but he still hadn’t. The ever-changing scenery was still beautiful, even more so when he looked at it reflected in Keith’s eyes.

“Hunk made the food,” Lance said as he set the picnic basket between them. “Well, I helped, but he made most of it.”

Keith laughed again, just a short giggle this time, but it still made Lance happier than he’d been in months. He’d missed Keith _so_ much, almost as much as he missed his family back home. Now with him sitting so neatly in front of him, Lance never wanted to take his eyes or hands off of him.

They talked about what they’d been up to since the last time they’d talked, and even though it was simplistic, Lance wouldn’t mind sitting around and listening to Keith for hours. Keith eventually took of his gloves and chest plate of his armor, getting more comfortable in just his soft and non-constricting undershirt. Lance slowly inched his way over to him, but Keith bridged the distance by sidling up close and resting his head against Lance’s shoulder.

“Happy birthday,” Lance chirped into the top of Keith’s dark hair.

“Thanks,” Keith sighed. He sounded happy enough, but almost deflated, when Lance thought about it.

“What?” Lance asked, anxiety suddenly worming its way into his stomach. “Is something wrong?”

“No, no,” Keith said quickly, shaking his head once against Lance’s chest. “I’ve just never really celebrated my birthday before.”

“Really?” Lance exclaimed, pulling Keith up by the shoulders in his shock. Keith looked off to the side, refusing to meet his eyes. “Not even as a kid?”

Keith shrugged, pushing Lance’s hands away from him. “I mean, a little, but not really. Nothing on this scale.”

Lance blanched, looking back over their cleaned plates. This was hardly anything, he thought. He was riding on the sentiment of it to make it special, but it was nothing like a real birthday party, surrounded by friends and family. Lance could recall countless happy birthdays spent, not just his, but also his siblings’. He knew Keith’s background was rough, but not ever celebrating his birthday sat heavily with Lance, sending a pang through his heart. Next thing he knew, Keith would tell him he hadn’t celebrated Christmas, either. Or any holiday.

“Look, it’s not a big deal,” Keith insisted, picking up on Lance’s pity already. “It doesn’t really bother me.”

Lance frowned, thinking Keith wouldn’t have said anything if it didn’t bother him. He didn’t say so, instead leaning forward and kissing Keith sweetly. “I love you.”

Keith smiled, but it didn’t reach his eyes. “Yeah, I know. I love you, too.”

A couple days passed with the two of them spending most of their time together. Nights were spent twisting in the sheets of each other’s beds, exchanging hot breaths and bruises on exposed skin that they would get teased for the following day. However, in the rare moments that they weren’t together, Lance was scheming.

He’d gone to Hunk the night after Keith returned. “I need your help – everyone’s help,” he’d started, then explained his plan to throw Keith the biggest birthday party they could manage.

Unsurprisingly, everyone was immediately on board. Lance was willingly used as Keith’s distraction, luring him away from party-planning areas and keeping him occupied while the others prepared. Hunk handled all the food, Allura and Coran focused on decorations, and Pidge and Matt tried to rig the dining room in the castle to drop confetti from the ceiling. Matt also went out with Shiro to try to find a few gifts.

Finally, the day came when everything was in order. Decorations were hung, the food was made, gifts were wrapped, and the confetti drop even had the Holt siblings’ stamp of approval. All there was left to do was to bring Keith unsuspecting into the dining room where everyone was waiting to surprise him.

“We just had lunch a couple hours ago, Lance,” Keith said, resisting Lance dragging him by the elbow to the dining room. “I’m not hungry.”

“Well, I am, and I want you to come with me,” Lance insisted, feeling Keith boring holes into the back of his head.

“Shouldn’t we be going to the kitchen?” Keith questioned, but they’d already reached the doors to the dining room.

Lance pulled Keith up to stand next to him, grinning as he knocked on the door twice to alert everyone of their arrival. Keith stared at him like he was insane. After waiting a couple seconds, hand still gripping Keith’s arm, Lance opened the door and hurried Keith inside.

Confetti burst from the ceiling and landed on their heads, accompanied by choruses of ‘Happy Birthday’ around the room. Everyone was standing around the table smiling, and Lance felt Keith stiffen in shock. Hunk had managed to make something that resembled a brightly-colored birthday cake that was sitting at the end of the table, and behind it were neatly wrapped gifts and other snack foods.

“Happy birthday,” Lance said, words muffled as he stretched his arms over Keith’s shoulders and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

Keith looked like he was in shock, but eventually he moved, confetti falling off his head and shoulders as he raised his hands to his face. His shoulders trembled, and he sniffed, and it was only when he stood back up straight that it hit Lance that he’d started crying. It was only a few stray tears, but it was more than Lance had ever seen.

“Thank you,” Keith said shakily, still wiping his face. His smile shone through the tears. “Thank you.”

Lance breathed a sigh of relief, as did everyone else in the room. Keith was ushered into the chair at the end of the table before everyone sat down themselves. Coran lit the singular candle they’d put on the cake, then led them into singing ‘Happy Birthday’ while Keith wiped away the last of his tears with happy peals of laughter.

Everyone got a slice of cake before the gifts Matt and Shiro had bought were pushed over to Keith. He opened them slowly, like the concept was foreign to him, and Lance waited on the edge of his seat to see Keith’s reaction to the gifts that had been labeled ‘from everyone.’

The first he opened was a shiny new knife, nothing like his Blade of Marmora one, but it had some interesting qualities, one of those being the golden sheen it reflected. Keith regarded it with awe before setting it on the table and moving on to the next box.

In this one was a new jacket, simple and black but fluffy on the inside. Keith shed his usual jacket and tried it on. It was a little big, but Lance eagerly told him it looked cute like that. Keith turned pink, but he left the jacket on anyway, pushing the sleeves up to free his hands.

The last present was a bright red jewel and beads attached to a string of leather, and Keith slipped it over his head happily. The necklace looked good resting against his chest, and Pidge reached over to hold the jewel in her hand curiously before retreated.

“Thank you, everyone, this was really nice,” Keith said quietly, eyes cast downward. “It means more than you could ever know.”

Everyone looked proud of themselves. Allura assured, “It was a pleasure for all of us, Keith. We do hope you’ve had a wonderful birthday.”

Keith nodded. “I did. Thank you.”

Lance beamed, unable to resist tackling Keith into the back of his chair. “I _love_ you.”

Keith laughed while Pidge pretended to barf in the background. “Yeah, I love you, too.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Kudos and comments if you feel up to it are most appreciated <3


End file.
